There is currently a trend towards saving raw materials, and particularly timber based products such as paper. Many letters and envelopes are now available in recycled paper, but the present invention is intended to produce a further saving in raw materials.
Existing Air Mail letter blanks which can be folded to form their own envelopes have the advantage that they save postage on the weight of an envelope. Such airmail blanks are printed and cut to shape in the manufacturing process in huge quantities. Whilst this is economical where large runs are concerned, this process is not suitable for smaller print runs where the cost would be prohibitive. A blank of the standard air mail letter shape will not pass through the most commonly used forms of printing machine.
Reply cards which can be folded in two and secured by peripheral adhesive are also known, but these are limited in size. A standard A4 letter embodying this principle would need to be made of heavy paper and would be inconvenient to handle.
An object of the present invention may be viewed as being to provide a form of letter blank which is capable of being printed in small quantities such as would be typical for letterheadings in the domestic and small business sectors, and which is both easy to use and results in a compact shape which is convenient for posting.